Enjoy a brew at weekend coffee culture festival
The aroma of coffee is wafting through the air along the bustling Nanjing Road W., inviting people to the best-ever coffee festival of Jing'an.
The Shanghai Jing'an World Coffee Culture Festival will run to Sunday.
Two women enjoy a coffee.
The annual Shanghai Jing'an World Coffee Culture Festival, after a one-year pause, has returned to the outdoor square of the HKRI Taikoo Hui mall on Friday. Opening from 10am to 10pm, it will last to Sunday.
This year's festival features 32 coffee shops, from Shanghai-based Manner to Sydney-based e.R Coffee Roasters, from local boutique MQ Coffee to global chain Starbucks. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of coffee lovers have been making determined pilgrimages, tasting special brews and making their own blends.
For the event, the district's culture and tourism bureau has also released a map with 100 coffee shops in a myriad of types, such as Italy's venerable brand Lavazza, wanghong (Internet celebrity) store Paras and "red"-themed The People opened at Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial.
It's quite the epitome of the city's bustling and vibrant coffee scene.
Special brews are offered.
Tastings of coffee from Yunnan
A CBN Data report released on Friday notes that China's coffee consumption is witnessing a year-on-year increase of 30 percent. First-tier cities consume 326 cups of coffee on average per capita per year, with Shanghai leading the field by miles.
According to local business media Yicai, Shanghai has had 6,913 coffee shops as of January, ranking it the No. 1 in the world. There's an average of 2.85 coffee shops for every 10,000 people in Shanghai, the same density as in New York, London and Tokyo.
Across Shanghai, Nanjing Road W. has the highest density of coffee shops, where one can find nearly 58 coffee shops within one square kilometer, according to China's major food takeaway site Meituan.
"Coffee is a lifestyle and a way of social intercourse," said Hua Xiangyi, deputy director of Jing'an District Culture and Tourism Bureau.
"These coffee shops, or new business models, are drawn by Jing'an's humanistic spirit," he said. "Next year, we plan to integrate the coffee festival with other major events such as Modern Drama Valley and JZ Jazz Festival. Such integration will generate something catering to the market."
Peet's camping-themed booth.
Starbucks allows people to make their own brews.
Over six years, Manner has grown from a 2-square-meter store on Jing'an's Nanyang Road to a popular chain. Shanghai's coffee culture feeds its development, according to brand manager Ning Yihan.
"In Shanghai, there are so many good and distinctive coffee shops," he said. "It creates a very competitive market, but also improves the overall level of coffee shops."
You Rong Nai Da, which operates coffee shops in different names, started from a store in the century-old Zhangyuan, a major shikumen (stone-gate) neighborhood that is under a large-scale renovation.
"It's good that coffee is widely accepted in Shanghai," said Haze from the shop. "It means that not only big names in the industry but also newcomers and small players can find their place in the market. Local government also shows strong support."
